


Lucky To Have You In My (Un)Life

by canadiankazz



Category: L.A. By Night (Web Series), Vampire: The Masquerade
Genre: Blood Drinking, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gift Fic, Gift Giving, Hugs, LA By Night Fluff Fest 2020, Movie Night, Nosferatu (Vampire: The Masquerade), Pillow Talk, Psychotropic Drugs, Romantic Fluff, Sharing a Bed, Texting, Tremere (Vampire: The Masquerade), Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:27:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23990776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canadiankazz/pseuds/canadiankazz
Summary: Seven fluffy Jeva one-shots written to fill a list of prompts for the L.A. By Night Fluff Fest 2020. Contained herein, Jasper and Eva will wake up together, give and receive gifts, keep each other safe, hold hands, miss each other, hug and kiss and (creator’s choice!) watch movies together. Most of these stories are intended to be just nice little slices of their unlives together.
Relationships: Jasper/Eva
Comments: 59
Kudos: 28





	1. Waking Up Together

**Author's Note:**

> These seven Jeva one-shots make up my entries for the LA by Night Fluff Fest 2020. Any spoilers will be clearly marked, but the majority of these fics take place between Seasons 3 and 4. My eternal thanks to Cravatfiend for her beta reading and editing. I am also grateful to Puzzledragon, Josephine McAdam, QueerTremere and others for their early feedback on some of the stories.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An early evening feeding.

Evening falls over the City of Angels and Eva awakes.

For the longest time, Eva used to wake up alone. She had gotten used to that. For nearly five decades, waking up alone in her little bed in her hidden sanctum in Griffith Park was just a part of her solitary existence.

Now she finds herself getting used to sharing a bed. This particular bed she’s woken up in isn’t hers. She is a guest here. The longer she stays, and the more times she wakes up here, the more it feels like it could be home. Last night, she had fallen asleep as the big spoon to the owner of the bed. Jasper doesn’t seem to be awake yet, and so Eva closes her eyes again to enjoy a quiet moment with her face resting against his bony back and shoulders. 

This bed is narrow, and though Jasper often mentions wanting to get a bigger one, he hasn’t done it yet. The narrowness of the bed makes it almost necessary for him and Eva to spoon each other when they sleep. Whoever is the big or little spoon doesn’t seem to matter much. They swap often, with neither of them keeping track.

Eva considers herself lucky. She doesn’t often wake up hungry. Jasper, on the other hand, regularly wakes up to the unsettled squirming of his Beast demanding blood and attention. He’s used to pushing it down, to getting on with things as if the hunger isn’t there. He’s familiar with the pain of it, the unsettled coiling in his gut and chest. It’s just so much background noise for him. Like someone who lives next to railroad tracks getting used to the sounds of trains passing by all day and night.

Eva knows Jasper’s awake when she feels him find her hand. He brings it up to his face and nuzzles her palm. His skin is a harsh, textual contrast to her own. She sighs softly and he rumbles in return.

“Hi,” Eva says quietly.

“Hi.” She can feel his lips move as he talks. 

“I think I had a dream,” Eva reflects. Her voice is quiet in the still air of the dark, subterranean room. 

“What did you dream about?”

“A field of flowers,” Eva sighs, “and some music playing in the background. I was reading  _ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland _ .” Most Kindred don’t dream. They’re dead when they’re asleep. Eva’s dream may well have been some slip of a memory of her life long ago.

“Mmm,” Jasper growls softly. He kisses her fingers and palm. She feels his fangs ghost against her skin.

“Are you hungry?” she asks. He doesn’t like to admit when he is. She has to pry it out of him. He’s still not used to having someone willing to offer themselves to him. He never wants to assume she’s willing to feed him.

“Um… maybe a little… but it’s fine…” He shifts, like he wants to pull away from her.

“Jasper, it’s alright,” Eva assures him. She doesn't want him to pull away. “You know I never mind…”

“But we’ve only just woken up,” he protests.

“I know. It’s alright.” Eva strokes his cheek and kisses his shoulder. “I won’t insist, but it will help you to feel better.”

“I feel fine.”

She smiles, just a little, against his back. “You’re lying.”

“I- I am not!”

“Mm.”

He sighs with a reluctant snarl. His Beast is whispering in the back of his mind. The ever-constant devil on his shoulder. It doesn’t help when his angel is saying the same things. “Well…”

“Mm?”

Her hand is still by his face. She moves it to press her wrist a little closer to his lips. It’s tempting, and perhaps a little mean, but she wants to feed him. She wants him to feel good.

“Alright,” Jasper relents. “If you insist.”

“I’m not insisting,” she reminds him. “I’m just offering.”

She feels the faint brush of his fangs once again as he opens his mouth. She presses her wrist a little closer to him and feels the sting of the bite. Eva is prepared for the pain, and for the pleasure that follows. It’s a guilty sweetness they share. Jasper’s hand comes up to hold her hand to his lips as they close around the wound he’s made. He’s trying to be careful because he doesn’t want to make a mess. He swallows, allowing himself the faintest of moans. Feeding him feels good to Eva, even as her Beast uncoils in her own chest. She doesn’t mind. She just presses her body against his and hisses softly at the blissful mixture of pleasure and pain.

Jasper licks her wrist, soothing the hurt and closing the wound. Eva sighs as the sensations fade. She nuzzles his back again.

“You’re too good to me,” he whispers against her white hand. “Thank you.”

“Mmm… not at all,” Eva mutters. “You know I’m happy to.” She plants a trail of kisses up his back towards his neck. The two of them shift until he’s flat on his back and she’s half on top of him and kissing his lips. He smiles into the kisses. “And you’re welcome,” Eva adds.

“We should get up,” Jasper mutters between kisses. “Get you a blood bag.” 

“Mmm… in time,” Eva rests down against Jasper’s chest, tucking herself neatly under his chin. “I’m too comfortable for now.”

He chuckles and loops his arms around her, stroking her back. “I don’t want to tempt fate… but I could really get used to us waking up like this.”

Eva knows they might not always be as happy as they are now. She knows there are likely still many evenings full of dread in their future. There are still too many enemies out there for them to relax. She doesn’t want to mention that though. She doesn’t want to think about it. She just holds him and lets herself be held. Things are good in this perfect little moment.

“Yeah. I could too,” she agrees.


	2. Giving/Receiving A Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When in doubt, give flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to Josephine McAdam for her birthday.

The nights are long. Even for Kindred decades old, it’s not unknown for them to get bored. Not every night is filled with action, with life or death struggles, political moves or conspiracies. In between, there’s reading, consuming media, and cleaning.

The haven Jasper had been sharing with Eva under the Los Angeles River was almost always clean. Jasper was a minimalist when it came to decorating and furniture. His bookshelves were kept in good order, neat and tidy.

Eva was bored. She had spent the past few evenings feeling listless, sitting around, reading. Now she was feeling a small burst of energy. She didn’t know how long it would last. Part of her wanted to go outside, to see flowers and trees again, but that was not a viable option in her mind at the moment. Instead, she found a long scrap of cloth that had once belonged to a long since destroyed black cotton hoodie of Jasper’s. She started to remove the very slight layer of dust she could find in the library. 

Eva went down each shelf. She pulled out book after book, dusting the surfaces and the covers with great care. She took her time with it, almost savouring each one. Eventually, her cleaning took her to a desk and a stack of thick books on a back corner of it. The books took an effort to lift for her to dust around. Under those books was a sheet of tissue paper that was hiding the silhouette of a pressed flower. Eva tilted her head, curious, and put the cloth down. She carefully peeled back the tissue paper and revealed a large red rose. It had been pressed flat by the heavy books. The colour had faded somewhat, as is the way of dried flowers. Eva inhaled through her nose. The flower still held a faint scent.

A sudden footstep behind her made Eva turn sharply, every muscle tense. Jasper put his hands up, non-threatening. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s just me.”

“Oh… hi.”

He gave her a little smile. “Sorry I scared you. I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s alright.”

Jasper reached out and put his arms around Eva in a loose hug. She forced herself to relax. She was still so anxious these nights. “What are you doing?” Jasper asked gently.

“Dusting.” Eva indicated the black cloth, now a little grey, and then the dry rose. “I found this. I’m sorry to disturb your things.”

“No, it’s okay. Do you remember that rose?”

Eva looked up at his gaunt face. She could see his fangs when he smiled. “I have an idea,” she murmured.

“It’s the one you gave me after the thing at the Grove,” Jasper reminded her.

“Ah. Yes, I thought so.” Eva picked it up carefully off the table, being very careful not to crush or tear it. “You kept it?”

“Yeah, of course I did. It was, I mean it still is, important to me.”

Eva turned the flower over, examining the pattern the flat petals had made as they were pressed. “I gave everyone flowers… I never get them myself any more,” she mused quietly.

Jasper winced with a stab of guilt. It seemed like the kind of thing he should have thought about doing for her a long time ago. He rumbled quietly to himself. “Would… that be something you still want?” he guessed.

Eva shrugged and placed the dry flower gently back onto the desk. She pulled out of Jasper’s embrace. “If you’d like. It’s just…it’s a silly thing. You don’t have to.”

Jasper rumbled again. He knew that kind of double-talk. Eva was disappointed and wanted flowers. “Well… you never know. Some might appear in the near future.”

“You don’t have to. It was just an idle thought.” Eva gave him a light peck on the cheek, getting up on tiptoes to do so. She picked a freshly-dusted novel and drifted out of the library to read it in the bedroom.

Jasper sighed.

* * *

Two nights later, Jasper was returning to his sanctum. He had been out almost all night, running errands. His movements had been as stealthy as ever, despite the fact that he was laden with gifts. Delicate glass clinked gently in his bag slung across his back. One of his hands was full. 

Eva crept out from her hiding place in the library as she heard Jasper come in. He didn’t bother hiding the gift he held in his hand. Her eyes widened, her mouth dropping open in a little ‘o’ of gentle surprise.

Jasper smiled. “Hi.”

“Hello… what’s this?”

His smile widened and he held out his hand, passing Eva the gift he had found for her - a small bouquet of pale pink roses with baby’s breath. It had come from the back of a florist where it had been tossed out. There were broken stems in the baby’s breath and the roses were bruised and slightly wilting. He hoped Eva wouldn't mind too much. 

“Flowers,” Jasper answered.

“Oh, Jasper…” Eva examined the bouquet. She saw the wilted petals and broken stems. These flowers were well on their way to dying. She would have preferred a live plant, she thought, but chased that thought away almost as soon as it entered her mind. Jasper lived underground, and so did she for the time being. It was very deliberately away from the sunlight a plant would need to live. That same sunlight would mean a painful death for both of them. 

Jasper could see the hesitation in Eva’s eyes. “I’m sorry they’re not the freshest.”

Eva shook her head and gave him a smile. “It’s fine, Jasper. I still appreciate them all the same. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, feeling relieved. “Will you, um… will you press them?”

“Yes, I think I will,” Eva said, examining them again and finding one rose in the middle of the bouquet that was the least wilted. It was so pale a shade of pink as to be almost white. “One of them at least.”

Jasper put his bag down and removed from it a glass and wood display box frame with a dark varnish. “I thought that um, if you did, we could mount it in here with the other one you gave me last year.”

Eva’s smile returned. “I think that’s a lovely idea.”

The gift wasn’t perfect, but of course neither was he. Eva loved it all the same. She rose onto her tiptoes again and gave him a kiss.


	3. “I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Promises made after an eventful night.

Eva’s bedtime routine is simple. She removes her jewelry, brushes out her hair, changes into bed clothes, and crawls under the covers. On this night, she joins Jasper. He is already in bed and she lays down on her side facing him. It’s then that she senses that something is wrong. He’s still almost fully clothed, only missing his boots. His hood is still up. 

Eva frowns, studying him. She has been learning how to read Jasper’s moods. He expresses himself through body language and eye contact, through growls, sighs and smirks, and as much through tone as his carefully chosen words. Wearing the hoodie to bed with her, with his eyes turned down and his voice low, tells Eva that he is likely currently feeling some strong degree of self-loathing.

Sometimes, Jasper wears an old t-shirt to bed. On very rare occasions, such as if they had just finished a late feeding session or made love not long before dawn, he sleeps shirtless. But if Jasper’s internal hatred is flaring up, if his personal demons are eating at him and his contempt for his Nosferatu curse is at the forefront of his mind, he sleeps in a hoodie. The more of his skin that’s covered up, the better. The fact that all he did when they got home and ready for sleep was take off his boots and crawl under the bedsheets makes Eva a little worried.

Eva doesn’t consider herself to be a woman who defines herself by who she is dating. She doesn’t see it as her job to punish Jasper for his sins, or to try to “fix” him. That does not mean, however, that she wants to see him stew in his own self-loathing. She doesn’t want to go to sleep without talking to him, without trying to help.

“Jasper?”

“Mm.”

“You’re very important to me… you know that, right?”

Jasper nods, but Eva thinks she sees some reluctance in his nod. He still isn’t looking in her eyes.

“Do you believe me?” she asks.

“Yes,” he mumbles.

Eva shifts a little, bringing an arm out of the sheets and placing a hand on his arm near his shoulder. The black material of his hoodie is thin and well-worn under her fingers. 

“What’s wrong?” she asks softly.

Jasper half-shrugs. “Nothing.”

Eva cast her mind back to the night’s events. They had been at the Maharahni. Jasper had tried to stick to the secret passages and shadows, but he had been seen by one of the new guards, recently hired by either Victor or Nelli, Eva wasn’t sure who, and Jasper tried to explain away his odd appearance with some quip about Hollywood makeup. It was the same excuse she had seen him give many times before. “Amazing what they can do with some latex and a little paint.” This time though, after the guard had left, Eva had seen Jasper’s shoulders slump, seen the glare he had given the guard behind his back, and heard the growl he tried to suppress. 

It seemed like such a small thing, but those small things can add up over time.

Or was it the other thing that had happened that night?

Jasper and Eva had decided to walk most of the way home after leaving the club. The night was mild, and they so rarely got to do so-called ‘normal’ couple things like taking a stroll together. As they waited at a crosswalk to cross the street into Griffith Park, a lanky man in a grey hoodie had come up to them, his hands buried deep in his pockets. Both Jasper and Eva had noticed him, and both had been planning on ignoring him, when he pulled a pocket knife out and shouted at Eva to hand over her purse. 

Eva had been a little too surprised to react, but Jasper was not. In one swift move, he was between Eva and the attacker, glaring threateningly at him with full Nosferatu horror. He roared in the man’s face - a ghastly, inhuman sound. The mugger, caught off-guard and already high enough on cocaine to have his judgement deeply clouded, screamed and ran for his life. Jasper snarled at his retreat, hackles still up. The crosswalk light turned green and Eva tugged gently on his arm to snap him out of it and get him to go with her.

Now, in bed and waiting for dawn, Eva strokes Jasper’s arm gently with her thumb.

“Is it the mugger?” she asks. “You scaring him away was a good thing, you know.”

Jasper shrugs again.

Eva sighs and pulls him a little closer to her. He lets himself be pulled. She shifts herself up a little on the pillows until Jasper’s head is resting against her chest. She has her arms around his back and head, hugging him close. She kisses the top of his head, still covered with a hood.

“You are very important to me,” Eva tells him again. She slightly hopes that her words will somehow imprint themselves into his mind, like Victor when he dominates a crowd. She knows of some Tremere with those powers, but she doesn't like to use them. “Please don’t ever forget that, Jasper. You are _ very _ important to me, and I want to keep you safe.”

“You’re important to me too,” she hears him mumble, “and I want to keep you safe too.”

“You  _ do _ keep me safe.” Eva pulls his hood down and kisses the top of his head again. This time her lips meet his veined scalp. “But please allow me to do the same for you.”

His reply is a faint, bubbling snarl.

“And I don’t just mean physically,” Eva continues. “I mean emotionally as well. If there’s something bothering you, I want to know. I want to help.”

“It’s just…” Jasper sighs. “Sometimes… I hate looking like this, and even if it has its uses, it’s still… constant. I can’t change it, and I know I should be used to it by now but… sometimes it just gets to me. That’s all.”

Eva smiles a tiny little smile. “I understand, and I know it’s not easy for you, but remember that no matter how ugly you are, no matter how ugly you feel… I still want to kiss you.”

Jasper pulls back a little to turn his face up to Eva’s, making eye contact with her for the first time since they went to bed. “Yeah?”

“Yes,” Eva smiles. She kisses him then, soft and sweet and loving, to prove her point.

“I’ll never be handsome,” Jasper says softly when the kiss parts.

“If I wanted to date someone handsome, I’d have gone for Nines,” Eva teases.

Jasper chuckles, his bad mood lifting. “I mean… you still could. You don’t have to stay. You could leave, go to Downtown and find him, climb on his motorcycle and…”

Eva cuts him off with another kiss. This one lasts a little longer than the one previous. “I’m happy here,” she whispers, “safe with you.”

“Well… good,” is all he can think to say.

Eva smirks and kisses him again. Kissing him, she has found, seems to be one of the best ways to halt one of his self-loathing moods. It’s a little more difficult for him to listen to his internal cycle of contempt when a pretty girl is distracting him with affection.

“I’ll keep you safe,” Eva promises between kisses. “I promise.”

“I’ll keep you safe too,” Jasper growls. His tone is a little bit playful now, and he’s starting to unzip his hoodie.

Eva slides a hand under his hoodie and shirt, feeling the lean muscle of his abdomen. “Promise?” she asks.

“I promise.”


	4. Hand Touching/Holding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eva gets high and fixates on Jasper’s hands.

Club Maharani was having yet another record launch. Jasper was there, but only because Eva was there too. He didn’t want to be there. He really didn’t care about Victor’s record deals. Eva wanted a night out though. She had wanted to dance, and so she and Jasper were there. Jasper refrained from dancing, however, and stood in the deep shadows off to the side. If he stood perfectly still, he went completely unnoticed. That was how he liked it. He had lost Eva in the throng of party people moving on the dance floor about two or three songs ago, but he wasn’t worried. He just kept an eye out.

Suddenly, Eva stepped out of the crowd, glancing around. Jasper moved, just enough that she could see him, and her face lit up. As she headed Jasper’s way, he could see that her eyes were just a little too wide. Her step had a sway to it, like she was on a boat out at sea. Eva got close enough to touch him and Jasper drew her in close to his body.

“Are you okay?” Jasper asked, his lips close to her ear so she could hear him over the thumping music.

“Mm? Oh, _yes_ ," Eva replied with great emotion. "I gave this little pill to this nice young man and now… I feel all floaty… am I floating?”

Jasper understood then. She was high.  _ Very _ high, by the look and sound of it. That was okay. He didn’t mind looking after her. He gave Eva a kind little smile. When she was under the influence, it was harder for her to worry about the thousand things that were threatening them any given night. “No, just in your mind.”

“Oh.” Eva looked a little disappointed.

Jasper took her hand and gave it a little squeeze. “But that’s okay. You can still have a good time on the ground. Do you want to come sit with me?”

“Oh, yes…” Eva smiled and clung to his arm.

“Okay. Let’s sit in a booth up there.” Jasper pointed up the stairs. Eva followed the motion of his hand, her mouth falling open slack with wonder.

The VIP level of Club Maharani contained many private booths - little escapes for Victor and Nelli’s wealthy and Kindred guests. There they could get away with doing all kinds of things they might not want the party goers below to witness. Jasper led Eva by the hand up the stairs and past several other occupied booths. He found an empty booth at the back. “Back here,” he growled softly.

The music still pounded from the D.J. below, but there was enough fabric and plush furniture around them now to muffle the beat and let them talk without shouting. Jasper got Eva settled in the booth and drew the curtain around them for extra privacy. He sat with her and she took his hand in hers again.

“I like your hands,” Eva said wistfully. She stroked his skin, turning his hand gently over and watching his fingers move.

“Um… thanks?” Jasper chuckled.

“No, like,  _ really _ … can I play with them?”

Jasper chuckled again, more amused than awkward. “Sure, I guess…”

“I just… I just want to…” Eva trailed off as Jasper moved, flexing his hand gently in and out of a fist. She lightly touched the nail on one of his pointed fingers. She let her touch drift over the pad of his finger tip and down towards his palm. “You’re so sharp… all sharpness…” she murmured.

“Yeah, well…” Jasper shrugged. He didn’t quite know what to say about that. “It’s how I was made.”

Eva’s fingers trailed lightly over the lines of his palm. It tickled, but Jasper forced himself to remain still. “I used to know a little bit about palm reading,” she said.

“Yeah?” Jasper said, not surprised.

“Yes but… I don’t remember most of it. This is your life line… I know that…” She traced a curved line that crossed his palm.

“Do vampires even worry about their life lines, being dead and all?” he asked quietly, with some dry amusement.

“Well… vampires have lives too, you know.”

“Is my lifeline short?” Jasper asked in the same dry tone.

“No!” Eva frowned, her eyes meeting his with a sharp and sudden sting of anxiety. “No, see?” She directed his attention to the curved line. “It goes a long way…”

“Okay, okay,” Jasper soothed. Eva didn’t like it when he joked or was sarcastic about himself dying. “Yes… it’s a long line. My hands are um… they’re kind of big, so it’s a long line. I don’t really believe in palm reading.”

“No… it doesn’t make a lot of sense for vampires…” Eva mused. She interlaced her fingers with his and squeezed his hand tight. Jasper shifted a little and she leaned against him, still holding his hand. 

Jasper offered her his other hand, giving his fingers a slow and tempting wave-like wriggle to attract her attention. He felt Eva’s body tense as she watched his fingers move, making shapes in the vibrations of the air only she could see. She reached for his other hand and Jasper let her gently bend his fingers at their base knuckle, watching the tendons in the back of his hand lightly spring them back up like elastic. She found some of the black veins that disappeared down into his sleeve and traced them to his wrist.

“Would you let me paint your nails?” she asked suddenly.

“Um…” He smiled. “Yeah, sure, I guess. Why not? I pick the colour though.”

Eva’s fingers played with the hem of his shirt sleeve. “Black?”

“That’s what I was thinking, yeah,” Jasper said with a fangy little smile.

“I don’t have the polish with me…”

“When we get home, then.” Jasper gave the top of her head a little nuzzle, careful not to disturb her hair too much. She took good care of her hair, brushing and braiding it, decorating it with flowers.

“Promise?” Eva asked in a small voice.

“Yeah,” Jasper said very softly.

Eva was quiet for a long moment. Jasper flexed his fingers again, entertaining her with the patterns they made. Eva watched, awestruck.

“I love your hands…” she said in the same wistful tone as before.

“You only liked them earlier,” Jasper pointed out.

“Well… now I love them.”

“Thank you.”

Eva brought Jasper’s hand to her lips and kissed each one of his fingers. He growled in mild confusion. “Um…”

“I  _ really _ love your hands,” Eva smirked, looking up at his face. Though her pupils were still too wide, even for the dim light, there was mischief behind them. “I want to play with them at home… and have them play with me.”

Jasper chuckled a little. “Um… now?”

Eva nodded eagerly.

“Um… o-okay. Sure… just… let me let them know we’re going, okay?”

Eva nodded again.

Jasper texted Victor. ‘Taking Eva home. See you later.’

Victor’s reply was a prompt winky face emoji that made Jasper roll his eyes. Eva slid out of the booth, still holding Jasper’s hand. He let her pull him up and drag him out of the club through the private back door. They held hands the entire way home. 


	5. “I’ve missed you so much.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper and Eva text each other while feeling lonely.
> 
> Set after Season 4 and the Epilogues. Contains some spoilers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to try something different with this fic, so please bear with me. It’s from the point of view of Jasper’s phone. Thanks to Cravatfiend, QueerTremere and PuzzleDragon for the early feedback!

Friday 8:00 pm

Eva, I don’t know if or when you’ll get this,  
but I miss you and I hope you’re ok.

Saturday 11:30 pm

I miss you too, Jasper.

Are you ok? 

I’m surviving.  
I’m ok.

What are you doing?

I can’t say, in case they see.

Ok.

I’m working. I’m alright.  
Are you keeping safe?

Honestly, not really.

That’s disappointing, but not surprising.

Sorry. Been helping a friend  
going through some hard stuff.

Please don’t do anything stupid.

You know me.

I do, and that’s why I’m worried.  
I do hope to see you again when all this is done.

When?

I don’t know. When I’m done.

Can I call you?

Best not. It’s not safe.

Are you with her?

With who?

You know who.  
Katya.

Yes.

Oh.

Don’t be jealous.

I’m not.

You’re lying.  
Are you with her?

With who?

Chloe.

No.  
We’re texting, but I’ve not seen her.

Ok.

She’s still mad at us.

Why?

I don’t know.  
She’s changed a lot since she got into all this.

So have you.

Yeah.

Sunday 2:00 am

I miss you.

I know. I miss you too.

It’s good to know you’re still alive.  
You know what I mean.

I do, and I’m glad too.  
That you’re still alive.

Tuesday 11:50 pm

I miss you.

I miss you too.

Katya says you’re a bad influence on me. ;)

That’s probably true.

Thursday 10:00 pm

<3

<3

Sunday 9:30 pm

Do you still miss me?

I miss you so much.

Have you been keeping busy?

Yes.  
Maybe too busy, unfortunately.  
  


That’s good though.  
It’ll stop you from missing me too much.

Nothing will stop me missing you.  
Except for you coming back.

  
That might not be for a long time.

I can wait a very long time.

Are you sure I’m worth waiting for?

Of course you are, Eva.

You’re very sweet.

Thanks, but I’m not that sweet.

You have your moments.  
You’re sweet to me.  
I never thanked you for letting me   
live with you all those months.

It’s alright.

But still, thank you, Jasper.  
I know I wasn’t the most cheerful house guest.

You were going through a lot.  
I don’t blame you.  
I was just trying my best to keep you safe.

If I finish this and make it back to you  
I promise things will be better.

We could fly away, like you wanted.  
Remember, on the hill?

I remember.

Tuesday 12:30 am

<3

Friday 11:08 pm

<3

Are you ok?

No, but I will be.

I miss you.

I miss you too.  
I know you’re waiting for me.  
I’m sorry.

Please keep as safe as you can.

You too.

Sunday 4:00 am

<3

<3

Thursday 3:20 am

I’m done.  
I’ll see you soon.

Really?

Yes.

When? Where?

Your place tomorrow night.   
Midnight.

Are you ok?

I’ll be better when I see you.

You’re done with your thing?  
The thing you went away for?

Yes.

Really? Are you sure you’re okay?

Yes.

Please don’t take this the wrong way,  
but how do I know this is you?

Jasper, it’s me.  
How can I prove it?

Call me.

Thursday 5:25 am

<3

<3

Friday 10:45 pm

I’m on my way.

Good.  
I’ve missed you so much.

I’ve missed you too.

I love you.

I love you too.

I wasn’t sure if you did.

What made you unsure?

You left.  
And X showed me a vision of you  
saying that you didn’t know if you did.

I didn’t leave because of that.  
And I don’t know about X’s visions but here and   
now, I love you.  
Do you still have the ring?

Yes.  
Do you still have the necklace?

Yes.  
When I see you, I’ll show you how much I love you.  
;)

I can’t wait.

Friday 11:55 pm.

I’m outside! Will you let me in please?

<3


	6. Hugs and Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotional comfort after a small terror frenzy.

Eva was busy. She had a lot she wanted to get done tonight. Some weeks ago, she and Jasper had set up a desk and chair in a corner of his sanctum for her to do her work at. This was where she prepared her rituals and spells. She was currently half way through brewing an Essence of Air potion for herself. She added belladonna leaves and berries to a small cauldron over a cold Bunsen burner attached to a small gas bottle. Eva took up a ritual dagger, well used and cared for, and cut into her wrist. She filled the cauldron with a precise amount of her sweet, floral Vitae and healed the cut. She gave the mixture an initial stir, to lightly combine the Vitae and belladonna together.

The mixture was ready. Now it needed to be reduced over a fire. This was always the tricky part; lighting the flame under the cauldron. Eva had a small box of matches as part of her ritual kit that she had brought with her down into Jasper’s sanctum. She picked up the box.

Eva struck a match.

Her Beast flared in unexpected terror at the sight of the Bane. The little flame, though barely large enough to be any real danger, was disturbingly close to her hand. Eva tried to keep a hold of her Beast. This was a ritual she had performed many times before, and she rarely had any difficulty with it. Her Beast bucked and screamed at her to _GET AWAY_ so hard that she couldn’t ignore it, she couldn’t press it down, she couldn't keep her composure. 

With a cry, Eva dropped the match.

It landed on the cement floor, where it continued to smolder.

Eva backed away quickly. She was in such a rush, her Beast in such a fright, that she knocked over her chair. It clattered to the floor and, not looking at where she was going in her panic, Eva fell with it. She landed hard with another cry, and scrambled away from the little fire that was eating away at the matchwood.

Jasper, having heard the crash, came into the room. “Eva?”

Eva didn’t respond beyond some whimpers. She had made it across the room now, and huddled against the wall, trying to make herself as small as possible. The little fire went out and a thin line of grey smoke rose from the slightly charred spot of concrete where it had been.

Jasper checked to make sure the gas wasn’t on under the Bunsen burner. Satisfied that it was safe, he turned towards the cowering Eva. Moving slowly so as not to startle her further, Jasper knelt down beside her. “Shh… it’s alright. Are you okay?”

Eva nodded. Her elbow and hand stung from her hard and awkward landing on the floor. She cradled her hand, hugging herself. She felt stupid and ridiculous. It was just a little flame! She had lit braziers and burners of all kinds and used fires in rituals hundreds of times. She sniffled, now more embarrassed than afraid.

“Did you hurt yourself?” Jasper asked gently.

Eva examined her wounded hand. “I landed badly. I think I’m okay,” she said in a small voice.

“Can I see?” Jasper asked.

Eva gave Jasper her hand. He turned it over gently, looking for injury. He found a scrape on her palm.

“It’s not so bad.” He let her hand go and shifted to put his arm around her. She leaned into his hug, hiding her face in his shirt. “What happened?” he asked.

“I was making an Essence of Air potion and... I had to light the burner but… but the fire…” Eva trailed off.

“It scared you?”

Eva nodded. “I feel so silly now.”

Jasper hugged her a little closer. She put her arms around him, clinging ever so slightly.

“I don’t think there’s anything to feel silly about. You were afraid of fire. Every Kindred is afraid of fire,” Jasper said. He kept his tone low, and as soft as he could while also trying not to growl.

“But I’ve done this ritual so many times with no problem…”

“It’s alright. It’s not ruined, is it?” He tried to look up onto the desk, to where he could smell the Vitae and belladonna mixture.

“I don’t think so…” Eva also looked over.

“And all we have to do is light the burner?”

“And stir it and chant.”

Jasper stroked Eva’s back as he held her. “So you could try again?” he asked. “Try lighting the match again?”

“I don’t... I don’t know if I can…” Eva sounded defeated and frustrated.

Jasper considered, licking his fangs. He didn’t like seeing Eva be upset like this. “Don’t beat yourself up for being afraid of the fire. It happens to all of us.” He kissed the top of Eva’s head and closed his eyes for a moment. He couldn’t believe he was about to suggest this. “I could try lighting the match, if you’d like.”

Eva looked up at his face in surprise. “You… would you?”

The look on her face made his stomach flutter a little. He would light a thousand matches for her. “I could try. I might freak out too, I don’t know, but… I could try.”

“That would be very sweet of you…”

“Okay. I’ll try and… if it doesn’t work…” He shrugged as best he could while still holding her.

Eva kissed him. He felt like he had swallowed a hundred butterflies. 

“Okay,” he sighed as the kiss parted. “Shall we?”

Eva nodded, her expression set and determined. 

Jasper stood, offering Eva a hand up. He righted the chair and carefully picked up the burnt and blackened match off the ground and threw it into a bin. Jasper hesitated only a moment before picking up the box of matches. He turned to look at Eva and discovered she was hiding behind him, clinging to the back of his shirt.

“Be careful…” she said softly.

“I will.” Jasper exhaled slowly, steadying his courage. He struck the match.

His Beast stirred, alert and wary, but his willpower held. Jasper lit the Bunsen burner and quickly waved out the match.

“I did it!” He grinned at Eva.

Eva beamed up at him. “Thank you!” She wrapped her arms tight around him and kissed him deeply in gratitude. Time seemed to slow until the kiss parted.

Jasper held Eva for another moment, his forehead pressed against hers. The flickering light of the fire caught his attention again. “Are you feeling okay with the fire?” he asked her.

Eva considered the burner, her arms still around him. Slowly, she reached towards it and turned the dial to lower and control the flame. Though her hand shook, her nerve held this time. “Yes… yes I think it’s okay. Oh, I need to stir it!” She picked up her spoon and stirred the mixture. “Thank you, Jasper. You’ve saved my potion!”

“That’s alright.” Jasper said, stepping aside to let Eva work. She started to chant words of power, some in English, some in Latin and other languages. He watched her fondly. He could watch her perform blood rituals forever.

Eva’s potion gradually reduced down to a black liquid. Eva carefully snuffed out the burner, killing the little flame, and set the cauldron aside to let it cool. She turned back to Jasper, who was lingering nearby. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled and looped his arms around her hips as she started kissing him again.

“I really, really appreciate your help,” Eva purred. “I have to wait for the potion to cool before I can decant it, so if you can think of something we can do while we wait…” She trailed off, her fingers playing lightly with the collar of Jasper’s shirt.

Jasper smirked. His grip on Eva shifted and he lifted her off the ground. Eva squealed in surprise.

“I think I can think of something,” Jasper grunted. He carried Eva, now kissing him between giggles, towards the bedroom.


	7. Creator’s Choice! (Movie night!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Compromises must be made during a movie night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for the Ridley Scott movie _Alien._ This fic was very much inspired by Josephine McAdam's hatred of scary movies and games and Alex Ward occasionally attempting to get her to watch them. Also, I have a head canon that Jasper loves the _Alien_ franchise and Eva likes Julia Andrews.

“What movie do you have planned for tonight?” Eva asked. She was combing her hair and getting ready to braid it. If it was braided, it was less likely to tangle. It didn’t have to be fancy, just a little practical. Tonight they were having a movie night, a cosy night in. Los Angeles was raining, for once, and they didn’t have anything pressing to do. They could afford a night to relax, and watch some movies.

Jasper held up the DVD case. It was a little worn around the edges, but he knew that the disk itself was fine. It had been a lucky find from a Salvation Army donation bin several months ago. The cover was predominantly black, with white lettering. A large, strange egg was cracked and an eerie green light was spilling out. _“Alien”_ the title said in bold lettering. Eva frowned. She had never seen any of the _Alien_ movies. Jasper knew this. He was grinning. This was one of his favourite movies.

“I don’t like scary movies, Jasper,” Eva said.

Jasper’s smile didn’t fade. “No, I know you don’t, but I haven’t seen this in such a long time…”

“How scary is it, really?”

“It’s not all that gory. It just has some jump scares,” Jasper assured her.

Eva wanted to put her foot down and tell him a firm “no,” but then he gave her a pleading look. He really liked this movie, and he wanted to share it with her. Eva thought about it as she braided her hair. “Well…” she sighed. “Will you warn me when the jump scares are, so I can look away?”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

“And in return for me watching this with you, I get to pick the next one,” she said, her tone firm.

Jasper nodded quickly, agreeing to these terms. “That’s only fair.”

“It’s going to be _The Sound of Music_.”

Jasper opened his mouth to say something, but his words halted in his throat. Regret at agreeing to her terms so quickly was written all over his face. Eva gave him a look, daring him to complain or protect her choice.

“That is…” Jasper began, trying to think of what to say, how to tell her that he did not want to watch the _Sound of Music_. “Do you even own a copy of it?”

“I do. I even have it on DVD. It’s in my haven.”

“Oh.” Jasper licked his fangs, his plan thwarted.

“It’s a movie that you don’t really want to watch, right?” Eva asked.

“No, not really no…”

“Just like how I don’t want to watch _Alien_ ,” Eva continued.

Jasper sighed. “Okay. You have a point.”

“So, do we have a deal?”

“ _Alien_ for _The Sound of Music_?” Jasper rumbled to himself, thinking it over. Eva waited, one eyebrow arched.

“Okay,” Jasper sighed again. “Fair deal.”

“Good.” Eva’s tone softened. She finished braiding her hair and took both of Jasper’s hands in hers. “I’m not expecting you to sing along…”

“Good!” Jasper chuckled. “Because that would turn it into a horror movie very quickly.”

She gave him a little scolding look. “But I am expecting you to pay attention to it. Don’t be on your phone, please.”

“Okay.”

She rose on her tip toes and kissed his slight pout away. “Good. Now… you can put _Alien_ on.”

Jasper’s smile returned. “I really appreciate you watching this with me.”

“You can show your appreciation later when Julie Andrews is mid Do-Re-Me,” Eva smirked.

Jasper bit back a groan and cracked his neck. “Fair. Fair.”

Eva settled herself on the sofa while Jasper turned off the lights and set up the _Alien_ DVD to play on his laptop on the coffee table. He sat down beside her, but just as he was about to press the play button, Eva jumped up.

“Wait!” She hurried into the bedroom, leaving her Nosferatu boyfriend blinking in mild confusion. Eva soon returned with a pillow from the bed.

“To hide my face in when it gets scary,” she explained.

Jasper chuckled and waited for Eva to settle again before hitting ‘play.’ Eva leaned into his body and he wrapped an arm around her to snuggle her close. She made sure her pillow was in easy reach, if and when she should feel the need to hide.

Ridley Scott’s masterpiece began slowly, building the relationships with the Nostromo crew over the course of half an hour. “This isn’t so bad,” Eva said softly, optimistically, as Kane examined the strange eggs that lined the floor of the misty room he was exploring.

Jasper smirked. “Jump scare coming.”

“Okay.” Eva grabbed her pillow just in time. With a horrible screech, the egg burst open and the infamous face hugger attacked. Eva hid her face. “I don’t like it,” she complained, muffled by fabric.

Jasper kissed the top of her head. “It’s over, but the rest of the movie is going to be pretty tense from now on.”

Eva whimpered quietly and peeked at the screen. She clung to her pillow as the crew examined their stricken team mate. Eventually he seemed to improve and the characters all sat down for a meal.

“Kind of a gross bit coming up,” Jasper warned.

Eva watched the chest burster scene in horror through the cracks of her fingers, mouth agape. She smacked Jasper lightly with her pillow. “You said it wasn’t gory!”

“Well…” he chuckled. “Only this little bit! And I did warn you.”

Eva growled and tucked her feet up as the hunt for the alien creature began on the ship.

She spent the rest of the film clinging to both her pillow and Jasper, whimpering and fussing until finally Ripley and Jones were safe and the movie ended.

Jasper stroked Eva’s arm. “Did you like it?”

“I guess so,” she sighed. “I liked that Ripley and the cat survived.”

“Mm-hmm.” Jasper purred, kissing the top of her head again. “I’m proud of you for making it through the whole thing.”

“Thanks. All it did though was affirm for me that I don’t like horror. I don’t like suspense like that. There’s enough… there’s enough horrifying stuff going on in our lives without all that.” She gestured to the laptop.

“It’s just a movie. Thank you for watching it with me.” Jasper gave her an affectionate little squeeze.

“Tomorrow night, it’s _The Sound of Music_ ,” she said, making the musical sound like a threat.

“Yes. I agreed to that,” Jasper acknowledged.

“And you will enjoy it,” Eva pouted.

“Mmm…” Jasper growled doubtfully.

Eva glared up at his face. “You will.”

He kissed her nose. “Yes, Eva.”

“Don’t you ‘yes Eva’ me, Jasper. You _will_.”

Jasper gave her a proper kiss. His lips were cold, as were hers, but she still found herself starting to melt.

“Yes, Eva,” Jasper said again, softly.

“Good,” she whispered back, before going in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading all of my Fluff Fest 2020 fanfics! I hope you enjoyed them. <3
> 
> Comments and kudos are _always_ appreciated!


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